


Distant Intensity

by Maitoparrakas



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Character Study, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-28 04:03:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19804324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maitoparrakas/pseuds/Maitoparrakas
Summary: Mighty Nein seemingly disappears into a thin air in the middle of the sea. Six long days pass for Yasha with no answers.





	Distant Intensity

_"You guys were gone for a really long time._

_You were gone for six days._

_I looked for you guys everywhere, in that room."_

-Yasha

Day One

Stern sunlight had taken over the sky. It sent forth an unusually warm blaze for this time of the year. The sea glistened under it like a trove of treasure as the newly named Ball Eater made her way through the azure ocean, guided by a steady wind. While the weather was ideal for sailing, it did not please Yasha. She was listening, watching, waiting for those familiar dark clouds that would gather at the edges where sea and sky met, that rumble of storm approaching which would tear the peaceful atmosphere apart and send lightning and rain down upon all.

The storm they had barely escaped after the encounter with Dashilla the Dreadful had been grand despite its dubious origins, but it had not hold the same spark as the storms forged by him. The spark that would set her guts aflame, in the midst of screeching winds and pouring rain. She yearned to feel that spark again, yet there was no sign above on the bright blue sky. A voice rang, however, inside the ship, and Marius came to view, frantically shouting: "Help! They're gone!" 

Orly, who had been on the wheel, signaled a crew member to cover his place and hold them on course, and asked Marius: "Wha'd ya mean, gone?"

" I don't know! There was the girl with the golden ball, they were questioning her in the kitchen and there was this bright green flash, and when I saw that and went to check what it was, they all had disappeared!" Marius was frantic in his panic, and the words poured out of him like water.

Yasha had run past Marius even before he had finished his say, with a leap she had reached the stairs that lead down in the hull. She made her way to the kitchen area, halting at the entrance, unsure whenever she should rush in. There was no soul in the kitchen, but save for the large golden sphere on the table and half-eaten remains of a meal, it seemed as it used to. 

"So it seems they're missing", Orly commented behind Yasha, Marius following next to him, "Is that golden sphere one of your group's possessions?"

"I've never seen it before", Yasha said, unable to give a confirmation or denial.

Marius, still: "I think that the stowaway gnome they had found earlier was holding it. It must be magic, it created coins out of thin air or something! Beau, she said so herself."

Yasha felt a sting that Beau would rather tell him before telling Yasha, but she pushed the emotion down. Now's not the time. Instead, she said: "If that thing is magical, it must be the reason why they disappeared. They'll be back, eventually."

Orly and Marius seemed to accept her answer with no other questions, leaving the kitchen and returning to their duties. Yasha, despite her own words, couldn't leave the room alone, but sat on one of the chairs.

And so, she waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited...

* * *

Yasha was sitting down in a grassy field, the green sea seemed to continue as far as eyes could see. All around her, flowers dressed in iridescent colors swayed in the gentle wind as she meticulously and carefully picked them one by one: a light lavender one that resembled a cluster of bells, a round pink one with tear-shaped leaves, a bright yellow that shone like the sun, and so many more found their place between the pages of her book. Molly was there too, laying next to her and plucking the flowers at random and weaving the stems together, while idly kicking the air.

"Have you ever loved someone?" Molly asked her.

Yasha gave a short answer: " Yes, I have. Her name was Zuala."

Molly continued with his questions as he continued working the stems: "How does it feel like? I get the part about pleasure, but what is it like to hold someone dear?" 

Yasha gently closed her book and focused at Molly's shift fingers working, and answered: "It hurts. Even the memories when we were happy are painful. I miss her so much."

An image flashed through her mind, the day of their wedding. Bright, colorful flowers, Zuala's favorite, were a rare species in southern Xhorhas, and what the tribe had were pressed and reserved for the official special occasions. Yasha had ventured far and wide right before the wedding in order to find any live ones. When she had finally arrived on the day, a total mess while holding few stems that barely made a bundle, the usually composed Zuala had almost flown into her arms in such a speed that Yasha had barely time to save the flowers from being crushed. "Thank you", she had whispered in her ear, eyes welled up with tears of joy. Yasha remembered, she too, had cried. 

Few drops fell down on the back of the book. Yasha felt Molly's hand on her head as he placed a crown of flowers upon her.

"It's alright to cry, though I'm sure she would rather see you happy."

"But how can I? I failed her, and she was killed because of me. I failed you, too, when I wasn't there, you were killed. Now they're disappeared, and I don't know if they're alive or have they left me behind-"

Molly pressed his head fondly against Yasha's.

"Even if that bunch runs into trouble, they'll be back. And when they do, protect them for me, won't you?"


End file.
